Delhi University’s first NEP batch is in limbo: ‘We don’t know where to go’

Gaurav Sharma (21) did Hindi Honours with research at Kirori Mal College. He was among the higher scorers in his batch. This year he could not get into Delhi University’s one-year master’s programme, and he is now taking a part-time course in Portuguese. Had he been on track, Gaurav would be closer to his goal of becoming an assistant professor.

The National Education Policy’s (NEP) one-year master’s was meant to save him a year before applying for a PhD or appearing for NET. Instead, he is before the Delhi High Court, waiting for a way ahead and hoping it will ease his parents’ growing anxiety about his future.

He is one of roughly 4,000 students from DU’s first four-year undergraduate batch who are in limbo, with no certainty of a seat in the one-year master’s course under the NEP. They have already lost the academic year 2026-27. At least 50-60 of them have been before the Delhi High Court since August, challenging how the university chose who gets in.

The court is now looking for a way to accommodate more students without disturbing the 2,500-odd already admitted, who are about to complete a semester. According to DU’s dean of admissions, Haneet Gandhi, about 2.5 lakh students applied in 2022, when the university adopted the NEP structure, for the 72,600-odd seats on offer.